Impact of physical activity on activity of daily living in moderate to severe dementia: a critical review

The objectives of this study were to describe the different modalities of physical activity programs designed for moderate to severe dementia and to identify their impact on functional independence in activities of daily living (ADL). A critical review of randomized controlled trials related to the impact of physical activity programs in moderately to severely demented persons on ADL performance and meta-analysis of the identified studies were performed. Among the 303 identified articles, five responded to the selection criteria. Four out of the five studies demonstrated limited methodological quality. In one high-quality study, physical activity programs significantly delayed deterioration of ADL performance. The program components and ADL assessment tools vary widely across studies. Although the proposed treatments have not proven their efficiency in improving the ADL status of the patients, they were able to limit the decline in ADL functioning. Future research is warranted in order to identify clinically relevant modalities for physical activity programs for people with moderate to severe dementia

Non-invasive assessment of adrenocortical activity as a measure of stress in giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis)

Additional file 1: Full dataset in Microsoft Excel workbook format.BACKGROUND : Numbers of giraffes are declining rapidly in their native habitat. As giraffe research and conservation efforts increase, the demand for more complete measures of the impact of conservation interventions and the effects of captive environments on animal health and welfare have risen. We compared the ability of six different enzyme immunoassays to quantify changes in fecal glucocorticoid metabolites (FGM) resulting from three sources: adrenocorticotropic hormone stimulation test, transport, and time of day that samples were collected. RESULTS : Two male giraffes underwent ACTH injections; all six assays detected FGM increases following injection for Giraffe 1, while only three assays detected FGM increases following injection for Giraffe 2. Consistent with other ruminant species, the two 11-oxoetiocholanolone assays (one for 11,17-dioxoandrostanes and the other for 3α,11-oxo metabolites) measured the most pronounced and prolonged elevation of FGM, while an assay for 3β,11β-diol detected peaks of smaller magnitude and duration. Both of the 11-oxoetiocholanolone assays detected significant FGM increases after transport in Giraffes 3–7, and preliminary data suggest FGM detected by the assay for 11,17-dioxoandrostanes may differ across time of day. CONCLUSIONS : We conclude the assay for 11,17-dioxoandrostanes is the most sensitive assay tested for FGM in giraffes and the assay for FGM with a 5β-3α-ol-11-one structure is also effective. 11-oxoetiocholanolone enzyme immunoassays have now been demonstrated to be successful in a wide variety of ruminant species, providing indirect evidence that 5β-reduction may be a common metabolic pathway for glucocorticoids in ruminants. As FGM peaks were detected in at least some giraffes using all assays tested, giraffes appear to excrete a wide variety of different FGM. The assays validated here will provide a valuable tool for research on the health, welfare, and conservation of giraffes.The Association of Friends and Supporters of Goethe University Frankfurt provided financial support for F. Sicks to travel to Vienna to analyze fecal samples and von Opel Hessische Zoostiftung supported a studentship for F. Sicks. One commercial funder [Tierpark Berlin] provided support in the form of salary for F. Sicks during data analysis and preparation of this manuscript. The specific role of this author is articulated in the ‘Author Contributions’ section.http://www.biomedcentral.com/bmcvetresam2016Anatomy and PhysiologyParaclinical Science

Modeling intertidal crab distribution patterns using photographic mapping among tropical Australian estuaries

Intertidal crabs are abundant in tropical estuaries and have bio-indicator potential. However, the use of intertidal crabs in guiding management actions is limited because high-replication, cost-effective tools to analyze their distribution patterns at large scales are lacking. This study used assemblage modeling and photography to rapidly build formal understanding of the spatial organization of crab communities in the low intertidal zone, between mean sea level at low spring tide and the edge of the mangrove forest, within and among estuaries. A classification and regression tree model revealed seven distinct habitats based on relative occurrence of five species (Uca coarctata, Uca seismella, Macrophthalmus japonicus, Metopograpsus frontalis, and Metopograpsus latifrons) among eight estuaries along 160 km of coast in North Queensland, Australia (18°28'-19° degrees 25' S, 146° 12'-147° 14' E), across four sampling trips between April 2009 and October 2010. Photography provided high-replication sampling across a large area relative to the aim of the study but did not represent the whole intertidal crab community. Complementary hand collections within one estuary allowed the occurrences of three other species (Perisesarma longicristatum, Australoplax tridentata, and Metopograpsus thukuhar) to be fitted into the model. Species occurred across habitats, yet a high occurrence of different species characterized each habitat. The presence of some species not usually found on low intertidal banks suggested connectivity across the intertidal landscape. The model provided a formal basis to add previous small "site or transect specific" scale spatial distribution knowledge as well as other ecological information. Areas with outlying values can be identified as research and management priorities in the absence of other information, although this prioritization should be done with care. The approach may be transferable to other organisms and systems to provide rapid, cost-effective information on the distribution of key fauna where background understanding and resources are limited